Newly developed software programs and applications are tested to ensure they operate as intended. Frequently, test data is provided to test the data handling aspects of the new software. Realistic test data is more useful than arbitrary data and generally used prior to placing the newly developed software or applications into production. Obtaining realistic test data presents difficult and time-consuming challenges for software development.
The test data may be provided obtained in a number of manners. For example, a duplicate or copy of the entire business database can made and stored to an area safe for testing. Due to the size of many business databases, however, copying the entire database may be time-consuming and an inefficient use of system resources. Obtaining small amounts of data from complex relational databases can be a significant undertaking, given the nature of such databases. For example, the desired testing data must first be identified and then the portions of the tables in the database maintaining the desired data must then be copied to a test database. Each database table may have numerous support files which must be created and kept synchronized. Also, maintaining the relational integrity of the tables and key structures in complex relational databases, while obtaining the desired data for testing, is a time-consuming and complex process every time new test data is required for newly developed software and applications.